My top five football players for each position.

Recenty, former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent showed us his top five favourite strikers & there was some upset that he left out the prolific striker, Sergio Aguero from his list. I'm going do as he did & do a top five list of my own but go further & do a list for midfielders, defenders & goalkeepers as well. You are welcome to comment below if you disagree or just want to comment.

Strikers: 

Personally, I like strikers that can score anywhere & anyhow. I'm fond of Italian-type strikers as opposed to dribbler strikers because I want a finisher as opposed to someone that will waste time eliminating defenders in the penalty box then lose his chance to score as well as the ball with unnecessary dribbling. I've decided to leave out the likes of Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo & Messi in my list because they have transcended our realm & are football deities at this stage so here are my top five:-

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: I like this man's playing style & persona because he's hard & has some character & scores some outrageous goals. 

Fernando Torres: Torres was one of my favourite late 2000's striker because he wasn't too fancy, he just had enough skill to shake off defenders & take a shot at goal. His importance for Liverpool F. C. & the Spanish national team made him a favourite of mine. 

Didier Drogba: Other than being a national hero in la Côte d'Ivoire, this man could score some real "worldies" as British football fans would say & was always an inspiration for both club & country in his prime. 

Samuel Eto'o Fils: This is one of the most prolific African strikers I've ever seen & apart from eclipsing Laurent Pokou's AFCON goalscoring record, he has won all there is to win for an African footballer on the world stage.

Sibusiso Wiseman Zuma: Affectionately known as "Rhee", Sibusiso Zuma was a prolific striker for Orlando Pirates & was among the first KZN players to make a name for himself on the global stage in the modern era of South African football, others being Fani Madida, Helman Mkhalele & Siyabonga "Bhele" Nomvethe.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 

Roberto Baggio: Personally, I don't think there'll ever be another Roberto Baggio, he had the skill of Michael Laudrup but more prolific in front of goal. Despite being a dribbler striker, I like him because he created space for himself in the box to score. 

Francesco Totti: This was an Italian favourite, I liked him because he was brave enough to stay with just one club & consistently put in good perfomances well into his late thirties as well as being a FIFA World Cup winner with Italy.


Midfielders:  

I've always liked midfielders that are good passers as well as good defensively. I like midfielders that can steal or intercept the ball from opposition & supply defense-splitting passes to the forwards so my list goes:-

Xavi: Some may think all Xavi Hernandez is good for is passing, passing some more & passing to Messi but I think the fact that he's been so consistent for Spain & Barcelona just shows what he brings to a team. He's quite a skilful central midfielder despite his low profile.

Xabi Alonso: A hard midfielder with a good shot & is a dead ball specialist with defensive qualities. He's an asset to any team.

Steven Gerrard: Along with Xabi Alonso in midfield, they were a formidable pairing. Long range scoring, runs into the box, defensive duties. Steven Gerrard was a great Liverpool captain. 

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite: He is more commonly know by the name Kaká because a baby relative of his couldn't pronounce "Ricardo". Ricardo Kaká was most successful with A. C. Milan & was a FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil. He really had a "unique playing style."

Claude Makelele: I like Makelele because he was a great defensive midfielder. In fact, he was so good at his position that he set a defensive midfielder trend that's still followed today in Europe. He played for some of the best teams in Europe as well as the French national team.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 

Genaro Gattuso: Gattuso was just what you expect of a defensive midfielder & a bit more. He was a mainstay for the Italian national team. 

Rui Costa: Rui Costa was a great attacking midfielder now that YouTube recently reminded me of him. He didn't do much but was just classy, simple & efficient in his style of play. Even though some might claim Michael Laudrup was  better. 

Zinédine Zidane: I don't think there's more to say of Zidane. He won the titles & is a French hero. 

Luis Figo: This was one of the original Galacticos. He was a Portuguese national team regular & played for the biggest clubs during his prime.

David Beckham: I used to think Beckham didn't have much except a few good passes & a long range shot in his repertoire so after watching his career highlights when he retired, I understood why he was wanted by some of the biggest football teams in the world. 

Defenders: 

I like a classic defender, hard-challenging & has some character on the field so here's my list:-

Fabio Cannavaro: Cannavaro is the charismatic captain that led Italy to their last FIFA World Cup trophy & had a stint at Real Madrid. 

Rio Ferdinand: I respect Ferdinand for his consistency for both club & country. 

Carles Puyol: When it comes to loyalty & consistency, I don't think you can get better than Puyol. He's won titles for his home club as well as his national team. He played six games for Catalonia, his other national team. 

Juan: I think this is one of the most underrated Brazilian football players in recent history. He was solid for Brazil & quiet a skillful defender from what I've seen of him.

Cyril Nzama: This man was a regular for South Africa's national team & was a good attacking right-back.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 

Roberto Carlos: A constant favourite for Brazil & the various clubs he played for. 

Cafu: Great Brazilian captain who led Brazil to their 2002 FIFA World Cup trophy.


Goalkeepers: 

I grew up admiring goalkeepers like Taffarel, Oliver Kahn & Brian Baloyi but my list does not include all these because as you grow, your preferences change. Like with defenders, I like goalkeepers with a bit of character & presence. I like a goalkeeper that has a reputation for blocking penalties as well so here's my top five:-

Gianluigi Buffon: A great goalkeeper for Italy's national team & continued his good form well into his late thirties. 

Oliver Kahn: Der Titan was a great shot-stopper & a constant for Germany's national team. 

Pepe Reina: Pepe Reina will always be that great Liverpool & Spain goalkeeper who was important for his club & country's national team.

Mbongeni Mzimela: A great shot-stopping, penalty-saving, goalscoring goalkeeper from South Africa. 

Vincent Enyeama: I'll forever remember this man as the goalkeeper who stopped Messi in the FIFA World Cup of 2010, I think he stopped four of Messi's shots & completely frustrated Lionel. He was a great goalkeeper for Nigeria.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 

Victor Valdez: Will forever be remembered as the goalkeeper at the posts during Barcelona's most successful time in their history.

Fabien Barthez: A great French goalkeeper who represented France on the highest level of national team football. 


These are my lists of top five players for each position of world football. Again, these are just my personal favourites & don't have any Opta stats to calculate the best/most efficient player in each position by intercepts, blocks or assists etc. My preferences might change in future & I might choose different players but these are my favourite all-time greats at present. Thanks for reading.

BEST AMAZULU F. C. STARTING XI